The Slick Krell Conspiracy
by The Katstail
Summary: Krell takes on a "padawan clone" and sends Slick on a mission to spy on Anakin and Ashoka to ensure the Sith have their next lord. What's Slick 'ol boy have to do to ensure the success of the budding empire? A little angst, little suspense, some friendship and a bit of fluff for good measure!
1. Chapter 1

This is a Star Wars fan fiction story - blah blah blah... I don't own Ol' George's characters or universe; but I may come up with some of my own OC's along the way!

Reviews! I'd love reviews - even if you tell me I suck as a writer!

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**The Slick / Krell Conspiracy**

Slick paced around his cell in angst as he waited for his Jedi interrogator. Oh how he hated these kirffin' Dun'kits. Idiots they all were. Didn't they know their precious Republic was gonna crumble at some point or anther? Couldn't they see that? Oh how he'd wished he'd gotten to Count Douku before those meddling... fools got to him.

Cody, the big "by the book" Commander. What a... wipe! Slick growled under his breath. Rex though - Rex? At least he thought Rex would understand; _or at least he thought Rex __**should**__ understand?_ After all, wasn't he the one rumored to let a coward and a traitor go? Who was that one on that kirffin sorry excuse for a planet? That guy who'd found himself a good piece of Twi'lek... Ehh, yeah him!

Rumors though, that's all they were. Slick sighed as he threw himself on his bunk, slapping his back against the cold metal of the cell's bulk head. He couldn't prove what he'd heard about Rex's... disorderly conduct though; but oh boy, if he could - wouldn't he have the captain by the... Yeah, wouldn't that be priceless? Slick chuckled as he shook his head. He was digressing again though. He cursed. He had to keep his head in this game if he was ever going to figure out how to get out of this kirfin' cage.

Most pressing thing on his mind right now! He growled as he jumped up and made another couple of laps around the cell. What was he going to say to this Jedi who was headed in here in... _Slick looked at his chrono. _Err.. five minutes ago? Kirffin Dun'kit! Slick folded his arms and glared impatiently at the cell door. Just like a Jedi - ehh! He let out one last bitter laugh as he went and sat down.

This was his third transport and Slick figured he had to be somewhere near Coruscant. It'd been about 5 standard space days since they left the last holding cell and that had been on some backwater moon on the other side of Naboo. This hunk of junk though? Slick wondered what cemetery the noble republic dug this mass of... reassembled battle droids out of? This wasn't even a kirffin proper prison. No, the cell actually had bars? He wasn't in a prison - he was in cage dug out of one of the zoos of antiquity. Well aint that special. He smirked to himself as he rattled the bars and commenced with a series of boisterous animal noises. Not that it did any good. No-one ever listed to him back here; even though at least he could give them credit for feeding him. Slick was growing bored though. He growled and... barked a bit before he finally settled down.

Where ever he was, he knew he had to be close. They never held treason trials anywhere other than Coruscant. Slick scratched his head as he thought a moment. Matter of fact; it wasn't common to hold treason trials for a clone at all? Naw, just shoot 'em. Sorry excuse for a life form. Slick laughed. But why him? Why such interest in 'due justice' now? He pondered a moment. Odd? He thought.

"Well, guess I'm not going to wait much longer." Slick muttered as the latch to the outside door began to creek. Two clicks, a turn and hulking hatch swung open. Slick stood up and strolled over to his cell door to see who was there.

Much to his dismay _and veiled amusement;_ a honking ugly lizard dude with two sets of arms lopped in. _The Basilisk species and I __**recognize**__ this one!__** General Pong Krell**__, Oh __**yeah**__ what a __**treat**__. _Slick managed to keep his morose humor to himself as his mind digressed to those gutter places he knew he couldn't stay - and keep a strait face - that is. The hatch boomed shut as 'ol lizard lips gave it a healthy slam for good measure.

"Sargent Slick." The overgrown frog muttered as he slapped a data pad with one of his extra hands. "Treason!" He hissed. "Apparently here's one who never grew up loyal to the Republic!" He declared as he jutted one set of massive arms into the cell and grabbed the clone. "Now did you go Jango on them?" He eyed Slick as he pulled him off the ground to within centimeters of his face. Slick started to cough as Basilisk boy breathed on him. "Ha, hah haaahhhh!" Krell began to laugh as he tossed Slick back into the cell like a rag doll.

_Well good, at least your done groping me. _Slick glared at his interrogator as he ambled to his feet and stood as ready as he was ever going to be. "Come on." He mumbled in as much hatred as he could manage to force out of his trembling body. "Creatures bread in some laboratory! If your gonna kill me then be a _**real**_ man and _**DO IT!"**_ Slick yelled.

"WAAAHHHHH!" Krell burst into hysteric laughter as he doubled over and his two sets of arms flailed in helpless giggles. He lost his balance and landed with a booming thud on the deck. Slick could have swore the entire transport shook. The Jedi just lay there on his back though, slapping his chest with his four arms. Krell obviously found this overwhelmingly amusing, while Slick only stood trembling in humiliated rage.

"That was good clone." Krell finally sat up as he shook a finger at Slick. "That was so good, ya almost made me pee myself." He continued to giggle as he managed to lumber to his feet. "You're not like all the rest are you?" Krell continued as he waddled over to Slick's cell. "A clone with a brain. I like that!" He grinned mischievously as he slid one hand in-between the bars and 'tickled' Slick's ear.

"Get away from me!" Slick shuddered as he slapped Krell's hand away.

"I'll take this one." His Jedi tormenter just laughed. "I got a mission for you clone."

Krell left the confinement area a few moments later as Slick plopped down on his bunk and stewed about how he was going to plan his escape. He'd go along with Krell's mission, at least until he could find a good time to make a run for it. He wondered what 'ol lizard lips had in mind for him?

He'd remembered Krell from one brief encounter back on Kamino some many years past now. Krell was ill tempered and detestable; one sorry excuse for a general, but Slick had learned a valuable lesson that day. If you can't out muscle your enemy - out smart them - and Slick was sure he could do that. Krell was a bad-ay; albeit not a very intelligent one. Here's my ticket out of here. Slick thought; now I just got to play my cards right. He smiled to himself. Which works for me; since I already know his game.

Slick kicked back on his bunk a while and fantasied about what he might like to do when he's finally free. He'd thought maybe he'd like to go to Mandelore and see who he could hook up with that might teach him the fine art of bounty hunting. Than again, maybe Death Watch needed some new blood; or the Sepies? Well, maybe not the Sepies because when the Republic fell - there'd be no confederation to succeed it's self any longer. So they're out. What about the crime lords though? Slick's thoughts took another turn. Cad Bane, that blue faced pimple on the heine of galactic politics always seemed to have some sort of cash flow. Do I really want to work with him though? Slick reevaluated his options. Any clone Slick ever knew who'd had any limited contact with Cad Bane always said he smelled funny.

What about... settling down somewhere and disappearing into the populous of ...say Naboo, Alderon or even Coruscant? Yeah, Coruscant. Slick always liked the night life there. When ever he'd get the chance to sneak off to some shady continua; he never passed that up! Except of course that one time he spent his entire leave chasing down some underworld doctor for what ever it was that would cure him of the unpleasant social disease he seemed to have contracted from one Nautalon chick. Slick cringed. His ... wa hoo still hurt from that!

Tatooine - Oh Yeah! Slick started to laugh as his mind wandered from one unpleasant experience to another. Let me sweat my shebs off chasing down space junk. Doesn't that sound appealing. He snarfed at the dumb ideas that were now flooding his mind. Seriously though, what about settling down somewhere? Well, maybe in another 10 years or so, when he's actually old. He chuckled as he switched his feet, so he could cross his other leg over the opposite knee to give it a turn at a good bounce. Slick paused a moment as he starred at his feet. This cell is too damn boring. He muttered to himself. Gotta get out of here before I loose my mind.

Well Slick's mind hadn't gone far before Krell returned. This time he had a present and a proposition for the clone. He'd take Slick somewhere for officer training in exchange of feeding him information about the GAR. Well that's odd. Slick thought as he listened to Krell. He's a Jedi, what information does he need that he doesn't already have access too? But no, this mission was different.

"We need eyes on Sky-walker." Krell instructed. "It's very important."

"Anakin?" Slick questioned. "For what? You planning an execution?"

"Well no." Krell stepped cautiously. "We need to watch him; for the sake of someone very important. You with me?"

"Yeah." Slick answered without hesitation. "What do you want me to do?"

"I'll explain later." Krell answered. "But for now, until you're fully trained; I can't tell you any more."

"OK." Slick nodded, trying to hide his apprehension.

"And I'm warning you clone." Krell cautioned. "If you ever betray me. I _**will **_crush you with my bare hands!" He eyed Slick as he folded both sets of his massive arms across his baud chest. "After I'm done groping you of course." Krell started to laugh as Slick just sat there looking a bit alarmed.

"You knew what I was thinking?" He carelessly mumbled before he'd had time to sufficiently engage his brain.

Krell just began to bellow with laughter. "I'm a Jedi." He told Slick. "I know everything!"


	2. Chapter 2

Was he really so haughty to think he knew _everything_? Slick snickered after 'ol frog-faced / lizard lips had left. Yeah, maybe he _is_ a Jedi and maybe he _thinks_ he knows everything, but there was one thing Slick was sure Krell _didn't_ think of; the fact that clones were far smarter than he would ever give them credit for. Slick smiled mischievously. It's one thing to under estimate the strength of your enemy; it's a whole other pile of... Jedi poop, when you under estimate his intelligence! "And that my boy..." Slick grinned. "...will be your undoing."

Slick took a seat on his bunk and pondered his options some more. Even though he knew he detested Krell, the truth was not at all lost on Slick that this Jedi was his ticket off this sorry excuse for a flying tin can. Slick also knew though that he had to hedge his bets and rightfully gage when it was time to bug on outta the picture. No matter who was running the show, he knew his days as a clone were numbered and he'd better make the best of them.

So there was plan "A" and plan "B"; or rather plan "A" and "exit strategy". Slick had learned a few things since his days on leave spent crawling the underbelly of Coruscant. Yeah, there was a lot of crime and over-all general unpleasantness; but Coruscant also provided ample opportunities to hide. Slick had always known that hiding in plain sight was a good strategy and he would have had it made, if he'd just kept his mouth shut about Skywalker and Kanobi having left Chrysophilus. "Won't make that mistake again." He muttered as he narrowed his eyes, stared at his cage lock a second and then nodded. Mind is made up. Slick reassured himself, for as he'd realized very early on; dwelling on mistakes just makes life that much more complicated.

Slick sat quieting himself a bit, when another face popped into his mind. Hando! Yeah, Hando. Slick smiled for he had also learned a few things about pirates like Hando. Slick ran into a couple of Hando's men back on Kamino, just before he was sent out into the fleet. They'd showed up hiding amidst a gaggle of bounty hunters, looking to score a snag on some rocket launchers that - (of course) were conveniently waiting to be inventoried. Now this gave Slick an idea and also his first opportunity to strike a business deal, shall we say. He wasn't exactly sure if his slight of hand would work, but he'd determined one thing a long time ago. Either he was going to be more than an organic droid, or he was going to loose his life trying. One way or another, he was determined to carve out his own existence. One that only involved orders, as far as they served Slick to advance his own agenda.

So with that in mind, Slick followed these two pirate cronies into the only place that he could suitably seal the deal - the refresher.

"You fellas look a little light on your feet." Slick muttered to one as he stood beside him washing his hands. "Deep pockets need to leave heavy."

"Deep pockets ehh?" The man replied. "And I suppose you clone, got something to fill 'em with?"

"Sure do."

"And what do you want in return?"

"Just a contact when I'm ready to cash in."

"In exchange for?"

"Follow me and take your pick."

"OK." The man nodded approvingly. "Sounds intriguing."

"Let's just put it this way." Slick grinned. "I like things that go... boom."

The pirate paused a moment and peered at him. "Yer pretty slick aren't ya?"

"Slick!" He nodded approvingly. "Yeah." He peered back at the pirate. "I am.. Slick."

"Malvoh." The pirate signaled to his buddy with a jerk of the head. "Follow Slick here and if it's good; hook 'im up."

The second pirate nodded obediently and Slick knew he was in. Oh, he'd watched this game played many times before and he knew if he learned to play his hand well, he could cash in big. One lesson in sitting tight and listening carefully was about to pay off.

The pirate of the purse-strings followed Slick down the hall. If Slick knew nothing else, one thing he was sure of - he knew his cloning facility like he knew the million or so other faces he looked at every day. Slick had managed to get in good with one of the geneticists who'd frequently given him a pass to go retrieve things this long-necked pin head wanted. Slick was always smart and fast about his training facility escapades though. He knew if he spent too much time hiding out anywhere, he'd get caught; so the best strategy - a quick lookie was better than no lookie, and a lookie with a camera? Well, that was just royal!

So having snaked their way down to the warehouses; the pirates got their fill of various implements that all "went boom" while Slick got his contact. In the end, it worked out well for both of them and they spent many harmonious months in economic bliss.

_And here is why I think he's back._ Slick smiled to himself as the hatch creaked open and Krell materialized one last time. He slammed the hatch with an unceremonious and thunderously loud boom, before he lumbered back over to Slick.

"Well clone?" Krell muttered as he poked at the data pad in his massive hands. "Pick a name. What do you want to be called?"

"Eh...Sir?"

"Boss!" Krell eyed Slick. "I'm Boss and you're...?" He held a hand out in welcome suggestion.

"I'm... Deft." Slick smiled.

"Clever are we?" Krell chuckled. "OK, Deft it is!"

"So Boss, what now?"

"After you go through a couple of weeks of... survival training." Krell laughed as he folded his one set of arms across his chest, his second behind his back and began pacing the floor. "I'll come and get you. In the mean time..." He grinned as he paused and rocked back and forth on his feet. "Neeka, come in here."

"Yes daddy." A voice sounded from the outer hall as a Basilisk child, who was about a head shorter than Slick stepped through the door.

"This is my daughter Neeka." Krell smiled. "She's going to teach you a thing or two... Deft. And... if you really are worthy of that name? You'll still be alive when I return." Krell continued to eye Slick as he unlocked the cage and the door leisurely swung open.

"I will be waiting for you Boss!" Slick stepped out, radiating with confidence.

Krell just peered momentarily at Slick and began to bellow with laughter.

"Neeka sweetie." Krell continued as he turned toward the child. "Try not to kill this one; OK precious?" He cooed. "Daddy's runnin outta clones."

So with that Slick followed the girl out of the cell block, all the wile thinking to himself; oh fireflik, I just landed my first babysitting gig! Isn't this special? Krell just laughed as he watched them walk away. #*%! Slick cursed him in his mind; keeping a tight lid on his impulse to peer back over his shoulder at... daddy dino. Well, I suppose this may not be so bad? Slick chuckled to himself as he passed through a couple of doors, down a hall and finally into a hanger bay. After all, how hard can it be to loose this kid?

The girl waddled up the loading plank of a small shuttle, all the while mumbling to herself and, and ... singing some annoying overly jolly jingle. Slick just rolled his eyes as he followed.

"Here clone, it's just like this!" She began to carol as they entered the cockpit and the loading deck folded up behind them. "One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. I like blue. I like blue. Red and yellow there now. Red and yellow there now. Off we flew. Off we flew."

Slick leapt upon the co-pilot's seat with a death grip as he'd suddenly realized 'sister serenade' here had just pounded out the 'notes' of a pre-flight ignition sequence and now they were moving. The expression of trepidation upon his face must have given him away, as the Baby Basilisk only giggled at him while she rehearsed her little ditty several times.

"Got it clone?" She inquired in a childish chirp.

Slick only nodded as he worked to peel himself off the back of the seat he was temporarily adhered to, so he could park his posterior properly in place. Oh great. The thought drifted through his mind. I'm stuck in space with Krell's mini me.

"Good!" She exclaimed cheerfully. "Now you're going to do it backwards to land this thing!"

Yeah! Right! Slick peered over at her and grinned in terror. This must be one of the Republics more unorthodox executions. He thought for a moment as he stared out the front viewport at the rapidly approaching planet. They entered the atmosphere and Slick's eyes darted around the cockpit at the different sensors that were all spewing streams of meaningless data at him.

"Weeeeeee!" Krell's psychotic offspring began to giggle as she started whipping herself around in circles in her chair.

Slick jumped to his feet: Yellow, red, yellow red, blue, blue, four, three, two, one... four three two one.

The ship suddenly slowed its decent. Slick heard the hiss of the landing struts and before he'd even realized it; they were sitting on the ground.

Basilisk babe stuck her arms out and dead stopped her spinning.

"Goooood!" She grinned at Slick. "And you didn't even wet yourself!" She giggled as she pointed at the floor, stood up and slapped him on the back. "Good clone. Good clone."

Slick swallowed hard a couple of times to get his stomach back down out of his throat. Was landing this thing really as simple as a nursery rhyme? Man if everything could be condensed down to 'what I learned in kinder-clone' wouldn't that make life easier! Slick shook the fog out of his head as a small smirk crept across his face. Think I like this kid?

The landing platform unfolded and the girl wadded her way down to the planet's surface. Slick stood a moment or so casing the ship's interior for some possible supply stashes before he followed.

"So kid, don't suppose there's any food in there?" Slick gestured back at the ship, just to make sure something edible wasn't hiding in an undisclosed local.

"Nope." Came the answer. "So what do we do now." The girl giggled.

"Find something to eat." Slick muttered. "I'm starving."

"OK!" His young tag grinned big. "So what are you going to feed us... Deft. Isn't that what daddy called you? Deft?"

"Deft, Yeah." Slick nodded, realizing he'd better be clever; on account of one item he'd suddenly noticed the girl had in her possession - a light-saber.

"So you must be a padawan?" Slick offered a casual observation as they began to walk.

"No." The girl suddenly drooped in a sullen reply. "Daddy won't let me; says the order is stupid."

Slick just started laughing. "Daddy's right." He mumbled.

"So what's it like to be a clone?" Came her next question.

"Err?" Slick stumbled over the vagueness of her inquiry. "It sucks!" He finally declared. "But I don't wanna get into all of that right now. What'd you say your name was?"

"Neeka!" She flashed a big proud grin.

"Neeka. OK." Slick paused a moment, folded his arms and grinned in return. "So since you're Neeka and your not a clone, you must know something I don't?"

"You think so?" She perked up even more.

"Well, at least I know you must know what it's like to not be a clone." Slick chuckled.

The girl just stated to giggle. "Deft, you are clever!" She shook a finger at him. "I _do_ know what it's like to _not_ be a clone." She confirmed. "Even if I have absolutely no point of reference to know what that means."

Slick burst out laughing. She had him there!

"So I take it, on account of the skill I've seen your father have - that you know how to use that thing." Slick gestured toward her light-saber.

"You mean you don't think I'm just a naive and helpless little girl?" She innocently taunted him as she interlaced all four hands behind her back, rocked back and forth and smiled charmingly at him.

Slick just folded his arms and eyed her. "No kid, I'm callin your bluff!"

"Oh... darn!" She stomped her foot. "But at least now I know you're not going to run away." She commented as she shook a scolding finger at him. "You really are smarter than the other clones!" She grinned mischievously. "You may actually make it to the end of the two weeks!"

"Well, not unless you tell me where the food is kid; or I may just have to eat you." Slick teased with a wink as Neeka burst into giggles, staggered a bit and flopped onto the ground.

"I like you Deft." She declared with a genuine smile as she sprung again to her feet. "Come on, there's a river this way. We'll go catch some fish."


	3. Chapter 3

Well, chasing down dinner wasn't as difficult as Slick thought it would be, but that doesn't mean it was easy either. These... fish? Errr, what ever they were, required a bit of finesse to fetch. After about twenty minutes of floundering around in the river with his weave of netted vines; Slick peered back up onto the bank, finally swallowed his pride and grunted: "Ehhh, what's the trick kid?"

"Hold up yer net." Neeka instructed. "And get ready, 'cause yer about to get ah _**big**_ 'un!"

_Well, err OK?_ Slick just flashed a apprehensive glare when Neeka suddenly bellowed a hideous ear-piercing screech followed by several bizarre cackles.

"What the...?!" Slick yelped as a large sea creature suddenly began leaping through the water toward him.

"Hold your net out!" Neeka yelled as Slick suddenly extended his arms and this... thing jumped in his makeshift trap. Slick peered down at it with wary eye; it's gaze staring strait through him as it suckered up and puckered it's fishy like lips at him.

"He wants a big juicy kissy!" Neeka began to whoop at her own childish antics.

Slick just turned his head and scowled at her. "You volunteering?" He muttered as he held the bag of catch out in her direction.

"Oh no, not me!" Neeka responded; _(much to Slick's surprise)._ "Daddy says I'm too young for big juicy kissies." She stood swaying back and forth, one set of hands clasped before her and the other behind. "Besides!" She suddenly announced. "I think boys are yucky!"

Slick stopped dead in his tracks, still ankle deep in the descending river bank. He began to laugh so hard he almost dropped his fish; er - what ever it was. "Yer killing me kid." He mumbled to himself as he suddenly found Neeka's pudgy little finger in his face.

"Don't laugh clone!" She scolded. "I hate people who make fun of me."

"Oh, I'm not making fun of you." Slick giggled as he held out the only peace offering he could manage to produce at the time - this ugly... fish. "He just looks a little... lonely, that's all." Slick grinned hopefully.

"Well!" Neeka huffed as she folded one set of arms and glanced down at the creature. "He is definitely more charming than you." She commented as she swiped the sacrifice from Slick's outstretched hand. "Probably taste better too."

Slick just stood shaking his head and trying not to snicker as he watched Neeka stomp off. Places the mind ought not go. He giggled as he dislocated the thoughts that were attempting to nest there. Kamino's gutter musings. Reproductive jest such a young Basilick probably knew nothing about; or at least Slick hoped that was the case. He cringed as a whole new range of dispirited ghosts crowded the corners of his memory. Demons he was at least fortunate enough to escape. Sick bastards! He shuttered.

Slick ambled up the bank and toward the little fire Neeka had managed to coax into a decent grilling ember. What ever it was. He smirked lightheartedly to himself. He hoped Neeka was right and this thing did taste better than it looked.

* * *

Well, as it turned out, dinner wasn't half bad in the end. The fish and some fruit Slick managed to scrounge out of a nearby grove of shrubby brush proved to be satisfying enough. Despite Neeka's objection to Slick's consumption of these delectable fleshy morsels, he was satisfied. The kid had a good point though. He had to confess, albeit reluctantly. The fruit did... "make him smell"; as Neeka had so delicately put it.

_So I guess little Basilick girls never fart._ Slick chuckled as Neeka walked up to him, cringed and turned around and walked away again. For what ever that was worth; good, bad or indifferent. It made Slick proud to know he'd not lost his... charm.

He sat back, propped up on his elbows and listened to the river babble along as he watched Neeka settle down into what he assumed was some sort of meditation. He wondered for a moment what it was like to be her. A ten year old girl sent out in the middle of nowhere to train a clone trooper - _and a stinky_ _one at that?_ What in force's sake was she going to teach him? He pondered. What was so important about this mission that it took a child to train him? What an oxymoron that seemed to be? He chuckled to himself.

Well, at least he could take comfort in knowing he was still older than she. He chuckled as the remnants of a prior conversation drifted through his mind. His batch had been "conceived" a few months before she had; or at least as far as Slick was able to conjecture about Basilick gestation - he believed that to be the case. Either way, on account of accelerated maturation; he guessed that didn't really matter in the end. "I wonder what her mother looks like?" Slick mumbled as he began to laugh to himself over the one question a clone never asks; but than again? He began to giggle even more, as he knew he'd always held a secret intrigue for what Jango Fett's mother _**really**_ looked like!

Questions of ancestry and where did I come from plagues all life; Slick supposed. The big ones. Yeah, who am I and why am I here? _Yeah, the big ah - set of... kahoonas!_ Slick shook the thoughts away. "Well, I know why I aint here." He muttered to himself. "Aint here to die for some... ef-in republic that don't give a flyin... - uh; flyin Tauntaun's gonads. Yeah!" Slick burst into contemptuous laughter as the crude images from an obscenely frigid world flew through his obnoxious mind.

He suddenly stopped cold when he noticed Neeka was staring at him. Yeah, staring at him with a couple of engaged light-sabers in hand? "Ehh." Slick giggled with a nervous wave and then let out a sigh of relief when Neeka suddenly went back to her practice training. _Phew._ He thought for a moment as he got up and decided it was probably best to go find something else to think about.

Well, Slick spent the next fifteen or twenty minutes tidying up... camp, as he periodically glanced over at Neeka just to make sure she wasn't coming at _**him**_ with those things. What could he do anyways, if she did? He pondered a moment, as he sure hoped a clone trooper could outrun a Basilick child. Slick was just puttering around, not paying much attention when Neeka suddenly yelled to him.

"Hey Deft!"

Slick swung around.

"Catch!"

He suddenly jumped as a sizzling weapon came flying at him; it's power suddenly cutting out just before it would have sliced his head off. Slick quickly grabbed the light-saber and simply held the deactivated item out in front of him.

"What's the matter?" Neeka tauntingly giggled. "You afraid of a little girl?"

"That little girl - Yeah!" Slick answered without missing a beat.

Neeka deactivated her light-saber, folded her arms and stood staring admiringly at Slick.

She grinned as she ambled up to him, grabbed him by the head and pulled his face to within centimeters of hers. "You are smarter than the rest of them." She whispered as she impulsively planted a big sloppy kiss on his forehead. "I like you!" She giggled.

"Come here, I'll show you what to do." She went on as she took up a stance beside him and showed him several techniques as how to engage a light-saber attack; left, right, down and spin. It took Slick a bit of practice before he had the moves down; but he was a quick study.

"You've got to learn how to use your body mechanics and gravity since your not that... deft at the force." Neeka giggled as Slick tried that round house jump kick thing one last time. "And be mindful of this!" She warned as she suddenly swung her weapon at his feet. If quick reflexes were the only thing Slick had that were keeping him alive at this point, he was certainly hoping this lesson would be over soon. Doing this in 30 kilos of armor wasn't exactly his idea of fun; but he didn't dare take it off either.

"Don't worry." Neeka shrugged nonchalantly as Slick lay flat on his back gasping for breath. "Droids are way to predicable and you clones are all the same size. Once you get used to opponents of varying dimensions, you'll be able to survive."

_Survive yeah, well I'm glad you got more confidence in me kid than I got right now._ Slick just glared wantonly at Neeka as she extended a hand to help him up.

"Now take all that stuff off." She said as she smacked at his armor plates with her four hands. "And take your boots and socks off too." She giggled as she plopped down on the ground right in front of him.

Slick just glared apprehensively at Neeka as his eyes drifted toward the ground.

"What's the matter?" She grinned innocently at him.

"Ehh, clone troopers hate wet feet." Slick muttered.

"This isn't Kamino. Don't think about it." Neeka shrugged as she poked at his boot, took a good hold and yanked real hard.

"Hey!" Slick protested as he pitched over backwards. "If I knew you were going to do that, I would have just stayed down here." He mumbled as he stared sorely at the sky.

Neeka just sat there tugging at his boots until she'd finally managed to pull one off. Slick began to squirm when she wrapped her warm hands around his bare foot.

"St..stop that." He stuttered his objection. "Feels weird." He whimpered as he'd managed to pull his foot away and examine it for damage. "Kind'ah like my leg's on fire."

"That's because you think too much about death." Neeka commented as she grabbed his other foot and wrestled that boot off too. "Men born to die. What a load of crap!" She shook her head as she wrapped one set of hands around his ankles and the other around his feet. "Now take your gloves off and put your hands flat on the ground." She commanded as Slick obediently complied; fighting with everything inside of himself to keep from jumping up and running away.

"What is that?" He mumbled apprehensibly as he kept picking his hands up, looking at them and tugging at his legs. "Some Jedi force trick?"

"Well?" Neeka sighed and then let out a little titter. "Yes and no." She grinned big at Slick. "Yeah, it is the force; but more so - it's the life inside of you clone." She explained as she clamped her little fingers down around his feet and pulled him toward her. She let go with her bottom set of arms, only to quickly catch him behind the knees before he had the chance to escape. Next, she rested her second set of elbows on his shins and folded her fingers together to rest her chin in them while she gazed curiously at Slick.

"Daddy said you were arrested for treason because you were tired of being a Republic pawn so you tried to buy your freedom?" Neeka looked sadly at Slick.

"Yeah." He reluctantly nodded.

"Well, my dear... feeble minded little clone. You're absolutely right that life without freedom is no way to live; but freedom without life, is no way to die!" Neeka chuckled as she stretched out one set of arms, grabbed Slick by the collar of his armor and pulled him nearer. "And you my friend; if you're ever going to know real freedom - you've gotta learn how to live!"

"So stand up." She said as she slapped him on the thighs and jumped to her feet. "Life it's-self is going to teach you how not to loose yours!"

* * *

So Slick continued on as the afternoon sun wore across the sky. He did his best to keep all Neeka's instructions in mind as he jumped, flipped and sailed over and around her in this dance of energy he was trying so hard to stay in tune with. Neeka had managed to coax him into sloughing off the rest of his armor in piecemeal fashion as he learned to trust more and more the energy the ground, air, sun and even Neeka herself offered.

How'd she have the strength to keep this up. Slick's mind continued oft the more to go fuzzy as he stumbled around and gave into his exhaustion with increasing frequency. Finally he'd come to the point where he'd fallen down and couldn't get back up. Neeka came over and laid down in the grass right in front of him; her piercing green eyes gazing triumphantly into his.

"Come on." She playfully poked him a few times as his eyes drifted shut. "There you go now, you've finally surrendered to the flow of life. For when you're too exhausted to fight it any more; it can run through you unhindered."


End file.
